Book Review: Charlaine Harris: Dead Until Dark

I never read Anne Rice’s vampire series but I’m glad I picked up this particular stack. This is how the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps finds things start to happen when vampires move in – as a newly accepted part of society. The first in the seven-part series, it re-introduced me (I’ve watched True Blood) to the main character, Sookie Stackhouse, and gave me a more intimate look into her personality. In the HBO production, I’ve learned that she can hear people’s thoughts but I didn’t really know what she was thinking at times. Sookie smiles when she’s nervous and you would never have explained that behavior accurately unless you read the book. The plot is seriously heart-breaking, with Sookie’s co-workers, grandmother, uncle, and cat all dying around her.

Be that as it may, Harris does not dwell too long on the heartbreak of these losses, although when she does it is brutally honest and painful. I’d still say this is an interestingly light (and fast) read. I like that a writer doesn’t prove his/her writing competence by using big words. I just had to grasp some of the Louisiana slang by way of context. If it were not for the explicit vampire-human sex and suggestive cover, I’d think 12-year-olds can read this book.

The conclusion was not predictable to me, not until the very last few pages of the book so it does have that page-turner quality. A few surprises along the way distracts you from the main story, but these were interesting (and probably necessary) surprises to build on as the story progresses.

This book is simple, [not so clean] fun – an easy and entertaining read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who thinks vampires need to pay taxes if they do come out of hiding and live with us.